Author reviews his own books on Amazon

Novelist RJ Ellory was forced to make a grovelling apology yesterday after it emerged he had been posting gushing praise of his own work &#8211; and attacking others&#8217; novels &#8211; under an assumed name on Amazon.

The author, who won crime novel of the year in 2010, seems to have been using at least two fake identities to rave about his writing on the site.

Posting as &#8216;Jelly Bean&#8217;, he wrote that his novel A Quiet Belief in Angels was &#8216;one of the most moving books I&#8217;ve ever read&#8217;.

He continued: &#8216;It is so beautifully written I felt as though it enabled me to be a part of that era even though that can never actually happen.

'I would highly recommend this book to anyone who really wants to experience a class read.&#8217;